Dawn of a New Adventure
by SomeRandomKokiri
Summary: He had done it again, had saved yet another world, but he knew it wasn't over, he found himself ready to go to his next big adventure. So was the mindset of the blond pointed eared boy as he and his longtime companion headed to a new unknown land where new friends, enemies and wonders lay in wait.
1. Chapter 1

AN: Please keep in mind that English is not my first language, if anything sound out of place or the spelling is wrong, I'll be happy to have it pointed out. Any kind of criticism is appreciated.

I also own nothing.

Hope you all enjoy.

Just a reminder

' ' Thought

" " Speech

Chapter 1 - Dawn of a new Adventure.

It was done, his new adventure had ended. This world was saved and the carnival, the day that he had dreaded for so long, the day that he spent an innumerable amount of time running away from, had finally come. And come it did but without the doom that spread fear to the inhabitants of this land, instead it brought forth the joy and happiness of everyone that saw their worst fear go back, back to its original position in the sky as the sun began to shine in the dawn of the new day and darkness once more gave place to light.

Link was happy. He had done it again, had saved yet another world, made some good friends and helped a lot of people. The depression that had plagued him in the beginning of his journey was mostly gone. He had friends now, friends that will remember him, will know what he did. He was not only some random fairy boy that was the princess acquaintance, only some kid that helped the princess discover some conspiracy plot. He was a hero, and more importantly, he was a hero in his own time, not some distant and alternative future. Granted, Termina was not his home, but it was the land that he had chosen to save and it will forever have a special place in his heart.

He had also proven, particularly to himself, that he was capable of helping people and even saving worlds as he is now, as the fairy boy in green tunic. He didn't need to sleep seven years just to yield a sword, he didn't need to be tall and wear those uncomfortable white tights just so he could be useful. His confidence in himself, something that had been really low these past few months due mostly to the sudden loss of his old fairy friend, had finally come back and it felt great.

That was all for the better, for growing up was not an option available to him anymore. Zelda told him, just before ejecting him from her timeline, that due to his service to the land and its people, the sages would grant him the gift of being a full-fledged Kokiri so he could live a life of peace and joy like he always wanted to. Link felt conflicted with this, one side of him felt nice to be able to truly call himself a Kokiri and be part of a race and culture that he grew up in. But the other and more vocal voice in his mind rather bluntly stated that he had a mindset that was also fundamentally different from his peers, he liked to travel, to go on adventures, and most if not all Kokiris would never even consider leaving their forest. He also felt at a loss knowing that he would never be as strong or as quick as his adult self.

Reflecting about this now that things had settled down Link just realized that there was never a way to go back, the moment that innocence is lost it is lost forever; there is no way to obtain it again. Once you grow up, that's it. Even if you somehow manage to become a child again in body, which quite frankly don't really happened that often, it's not possible to make the mind revert without losing one's experience and memories, because what you learn cannot be unlearn, what you see cannot be unseen and what you heard cannot be unheard. Maybe that's the reason why the Deku tree had made up and spread the story that any Kokiri would die if they leave the woods, because even if they didn't due to the dangers of the world, their innocence most certainly would. So maybe enjoying his childhood years was not the real reason why Zelda and the sages decided to bring him back to his original timeline, let alone to turn him into a Kokiri. But try as hard as he may, the real reason was lost for him at the moment. 'And maybe forever' a dirty little thought made itself present in his mind.

'All in all, things would have been a lot different if Zelda had but asked me what I really wanted instead of assuming things and deciding for herself.' And if someone were to say that a pout formed as he was thinking about this, said person would certainly find him/herself in front of the wrong end of a Bombchu.

He thought about staying, about living his life in these now peaceful lands, but he couldn't. He felt in his very being that this was still not it, while he liked Termina with all his heart, it still didn't feel like it was the place that he could call home. His days of traveling were not over just yet, and his sixth sense was calling, or rather screaming, for him to go into his next big adventure.

And then, as the sky turned from bright blue to a beautiful variation of orange and cyan, the first day of the carnival was ending, and one lone boy at the top of a certain inn was smiling. He had just bade farewell to the couple that had become one of his closest friends, and so, after talking with the not as lonely anymore kid that used to wear a dangerous mask in the afternoon, all the farewells were said. He was ready, ready to go beyond, to new lands, new people, new sights and experience. 'To a new quest!' he thought happily while punching the air with a silly but huge smile in his face, all previous gloomy thoughts momentarily leaving his mind.

It was with this mindset that he gathered all of his belongings, took the newly made reins of his beloved friend and partner, and entered Clock Tower, through the familiar strange tunnel he went until nothing but darkness could be seen.

Through the tunnel they travelled, Link was walking beside Epona since the cave didn't have enough height for him to mount his little adventure partner. A couple of hours had already unceremoniously come and gone and horse and boy were starting to get uneasy. The journey had been a lot shorter last time, and he could still see nothing more than a few feet away. The last Deku Stick was burning in his hand and if that run out before the exit were in sight, then a journey in complete darkens would begin, and that prospect doesn't really brighten anybody's mood.

Just as his fingers were starting to feel the heat of the so important flame, a light was immediately spotted up front, though still distant, it was hope, and a sigh of relief could be heard escaping from the boy while an equivalent neigh escaped the little horse. As one they both started to run towards the light, the boy running as fast as he could and the horse matching his speed since she thought it would be rude to just leave him behind.

Ten minutes later the flame was friendly enough to let Link know that the stick was not usable as a torch anymore, both of them were then summarily cast aside while the run continued, since there was now sufficient light for the two friends to at least tell where the walls were. It only took five of the most uncomfortable minutes before the tunnel started to ascend, in a clear message for anyone who was insane enough to run in it to stop and slow down, and so the couple of friends did just that. Quite suddenly then, they reached the end of the accursed hole and were bombarded by the brightest light ever to have been in contact with the optic nerve of a Kokiri male or of a female foal.

The visage that greeted them when their eyes finally decided to work properly took not only their breath but also quite a lot of processing power from their brains. The woods that they found themselves in were just so great it made the Lost Woods look like a children playground. Every tree was as tall as Link was when using a certain quite unoriginally named mask, but it was the combination of colors and the intensity of light that made this place so special, everywhere you looked the amount of bright vivid green was so stunning that Link found himself wondering why he was suddenly wearing beige. The amount of light, even though the uselessly failed attempt of the mighty trees to block it, made his once proud special arrow cower in shame.

After the fairness of their surrounding had being processed enough that they could use their mind to do more useful things, both companions started to inspect their surroundings. First thing he noticed was that he definitely was not in the same woods as the one he started his journey before reaching Termina. They were in the middle of a dense forest, there was no path that led to the cave they just came from and the cave itself seemed to blend with the vegetation almost perfectly, one would have to look hard to notice even the elevation that made the exit, let alone find the entrance. Looking up and noticing the angle of the sun it was possible to determine that it was not midday yet, and considering that they had Left Termina almost at night just confirmed that they probably had gone to yet another world.

There was only one thing to do, well two actually since now that he had access to leaves again he could finally get a bathroom break. His last supper in the Stock Pot Inn gave him a mild stomach ache and he blamed those dam insects that insisted on coming to the kitchen, he was sure he had bitten something crunchy at some point. After that was taken care of, his last objective was simply to choose a direction and just move. He happily climbed on top of Epona, took out one of the innumerable compasses that he found throughout his last two quests, its arrow thankfully already pointing to the north, and decided that he was feeling rebellious at the moment and that they should go to the opposite direction the arrow was pointing at. So a boy and his little horse started going forward ready to face this strange new place and all it could offer.

"How long has it been since we've arrived here?" Link asked out loud, mostly to himself, which to a certain foal that was now currently carrying said confused boy in her back was kind of rude, and she gave an appropriate snort in response to his audacity to ignore the proud would be mare.

Link looked up to the sun and according to it no more than three hours has passed since they left the little hole in the ground, but then again one could barely trust an unknown sun from a completely strange world, and the fact that it certainly felt like trice the amount of time has passed was not helping said star one bit. He always felt, contrary to popular belief, that suns were not a reliable source to count out something as inconsistent and malleable as time.

What he thought was the first couple of hours had gone in quite a tense mood by the green cladded boy, after the initial astonishment due to the beauty of his surroundings, the second feeling he had was dread. 'If the trees are this impressive I don't want to know what kind of dangers may lurk behind them' thought the boy. He had ridden his little companion in utter silence, taking every sound as a potential threat, and that was quite unnerving as they seemed to be sharing the forest with a lot of other minor life forms.

It took some time for him to calm down, but eventually the amount of events that seemed not to happen at all was an undeniable proof that he was in fact in a safe place for the moment, and with that realization came a feeling that he had not experienced for a long time, in the warm sunlight in the middle of so much friendly life he suddenly found himself feeling peaceful. Of course the next moment the peacefulness was annoyingly cast aside by another more awfully inconvenient feeling of boredom.

There was still no roads that made themselves present, and a small doubt entered the Kokiri boy as he wondered if in fact this world had any roads at all, worse yet maybe it did not have any life forms higher than those excitable loud birds that insisted in making noise from time to time, as if they have a strange need to make other living things know they existed. Unfortunately most of the present bug population seemed to share this thought, making it seem like at least in this place it was common sense. Link then decided not to worry for the moment about the evolutionary state of the regional fauna and suddenly found it appropriate to just join the locals in their sentiment of what was natural, and so he took his ocarina from the inside pocket of his tunic and began playing the song of his favorite friend, it was only natural since he was in a forest after all.

He became really immersed in his song, memories flowed unceremoniously inside of his head with the images of all the fun times he shared with Saria. All the adventures they both lived when the couple of friends were just kids playing in the woods while being watched and protected by a powerful guardian, having no worry other than what the next game would be like and how much it could annoy the irritable Mido. Then came the goodbye, how it was the most difficult thing he did, having to turn his back to all he knew, to his worried looking friend, to his forest, the only place he could call home. Only to go into the unknown to try and stop a being so strong that had just managed to kill the mighty guardian that kept him safe for all his life.

And then as his mood shifted from happy to sad, the memories of the terrible future came rushing in, visiting his home again, how small and frail it looked. And to see it overcome by evil, all his friends having to hide in their house in fear for life, all the innocence lost in their eyes as they looked at the dangers that lurked just outside their windows. There were no happy songs anymore, no more silly games and giggles, there was only silence, and for a moment he truly believed that the forest was lost, that it was dead. The desperation and anger that took his being was so complete that he vowed he would destroy the evil that cruelly obliterated all the innocence from the race that was the symbol of childhood if it were to be his last act upon this earth.

So were the state of the boy and his horse as the song continued, the boy lost in thought and in memory while playing a melody that symbolized so much to him, and the horse feeling the emotions of said child, riding silently throughout the forest. Eventually some birds and insects would join the tune as if they could share the happiness and sorrow intrinsic in it. And just like that, after an undermined amount of time has passed, the two friends had finally reached their momentary destination, without even noticing.

It was quite a surprise for a group of four companions to find that the source of the happy music they began to hear some time ago just appeared from the woods in front of them, especially when said source was a blond boy with pointed ears, clad in a greed tunic, with a sword and a small shield in his back and an odd hat on his head. Said boy was riding what appeared to be a young foal and was playing a happy song with a strange shaped little blue flute.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: I'm quite busy at the moment since I'm an university student and work part time, I'm saying this just to let the people that are reading this story know that updates will probably be monthly for a while after chapter 3, but I will not drop this if it were the last thing I do, mainly because if there is one thing that I hate the most is unfinished stories.

That being said…

Hope you all enjoy.

I also own nothing.

And just a reminder:

' ' Thought

" " Speech

* * *

Chapter 2 - Friends, Enemies and magic.

It was strange, his beloved friend don't usually stop without a reason, not when both of them were so set on doing something as they were now. It was with this realization that made Links awareness stop traveling through time in old and half-forgotten memories and made it back to the present in an unpleasantly sudden way.

Two things immediately came into view as Link was turning his head in amazingly fast movements so he could notice the surrounding he had ignored up until now. The first was that a road had been finally reached by them, and even though it was a dirt road and appeared to be quite unkempt, it was still a confirmation that some kind of civilization other than the one made up of loud and annoying bird was indeed present in this land. The second and most important thing was a group of four… people? To say that they were strange would be an understatement, so he kept any classification to himself. What they looked like though, was different than any person he had encountered in his travels yet.

All of them were about his height, if just a little smaller, and while that was frankly nice in a selfish way, since he was not the tallest of the Kokiris by any means, it was still quite strange that they all had in fact the faces of a grown man. If it were only one person he could simply come to the conclusion that they might have some condition, at least that was the assumption he made when he met Tingle, and was one of the reasons why he never asked why the man was so small, well that and the fact that he was rather odd made Link approach the strange man due to professional reasons only, since those maps were in fact quite well made.

The other characteristic that the four odd people in front of him shared, like the big and hairy feet and the curly hair just screamed at him that they probably were from a different race, and one that he had not met yet. This fact was actually making the poor Kokiri rather confused. Of course in his travels he had met a lot of different and not so different people, but the actual races were mostly the same between Hyrule and Termina. Now in front of him there were people that looked completely… new, it finally made the whole different world idea sink in, because strange vegetation was one thing, since while traveling one would certainly find new kinds of plants eventually, and oddly behaved birds were just odd and not that uncommon. But really small adults with big hairy feet, and four of them to add up, was a loud and unignorable scream not to take things for granted this time around.

After deciding that a perpetual child finding other kind of people strange was quite ironic if not hypocritical from his part, he decided to approach said group and finally break the silence that must have been in the air for quite a while. He realized, just before he spoke up, that all the time he was considering the strange group they were in fact watching him with just as much startle in their faces, and that little thought just helped his confusion set more deeply in his mind.

Thankfully it was not his destiny to break the uncomfortable silence that had settled in. As Link was about to speak up he was actually beaten up by one of the little adults, the one with black hair that after a quick consideration could easily be recognized as the leader of the group. He made a step forward and asked in an evenly and calm voice: "Are you lost little elf?"

The first thing that came screaming in Links head was 'YES! The language is the same! Having to deal with a language barrier would be terrible, time consuming and quite frankly too much work. I hated not being able to understand what the giants of Termina were saying.' the second thing that came to his mind was 'How could he call me little, has he no self-awareness at all?' the third thing was 'Elf?' There was just too much new information for him to make any sense of it all, so he decided to just say something before anyone consider him a mute.

"Well I don't actually know where I am right now, so you could say in a sense that I am in fact lost" and that was quite the understatement, "and my name is Link by the way, nice to meet you." he finished with a small smile, hopefully it would be friendly enough.

"Hello little one, my name is Frodo, "the leader of the group began, in a patronizing tone that just made Link a quite cranky, he knew exactly what it was and what it represented and that was the tone of someone that thought he was a lost little puppy. "Where are your parents Link?"

"They died when I was a small child" Link responded, seeing the reaction from the strange man and adding quickly "It's alright, you couldn't have known." At least he hadn't found the need to lie just yet, but he had an uneasy feeling that the need would present itself sooner rather than later.

"Even so I'm sorry about your loss, were you traveling with a group of elves? We've just came upon them last week." 'Oh crap that's it…' "I…I wasn't, I…" Link stammered but the opportunity for lying was lost since in the next moment everyone present was startled by the gallop of what appeared to be a big horse becoming louder by the moment. Just before any of them could react the biggest, blackest and meanest combination of horse and rider all of them have ever seen (which says a lot considering Link knew Phantom Ganon) came from down the road, it's intent was quite clearly to run all of them over, and terror surged in the minds of everyone present, well at least four of them.

For one boy felt a lot of things, but terror was certainly not one of them, he instantly recognized the rider as evil, so evil in fact that it seemed to suck the happiness of everything around it, any doubt in his mind of what to do was summarily gone. Acting almost on instinct, he grabbed the small bow he kept in his back behind his shield, took one arrow from the quiver located at the same spot, concentrated for one moment and suddenly for everyone else present a bright light began to surround the arrow that the small strange boy was aiming at the terrifying figure.

And in the next moment, as said arrow made contact with the black rider, the cone of light that surrounded the piece of wood grew in size until it became a small explosion. A shriek of utter agony could be heard for at least the radius of some miles, and the being that was ready to cause so much death and pain was caught off guard while a little bit of that was being directed to him. The arrow seemed to be effective in making said rider stop, but before he could react a second arrow made contact, and then a third. It was after the sixth arrow hit that a retreat sounded indeed reasonable and the terrifying couple of beings turned back and went the opposite direction from the source of so much bright annoyance.

There was a moment of silence broken by a sigh of relief coming from the boy 'Thanks Farore he went back, two more arrows and I would be out cold for the rest of the day' "Let's get out of the road, I probably just annoyed that thing and I don't want to stay and find out how his rage would look like" he said while turning to the other four small adults. Since he was answered with only stares the boy continued "let's get out of the road! Do any of you know an alternative route to wherever you were going?" Then one of them, not the leader this time, whispered "Bucklebury Ferry" "Let's go then, now! I can't use any more of those arrows until the end of the day!" Link said in quite an exasperated voice, the small lie being uttered only to make his point get across the stunned little men. That seemed to make the trick because all of a sudden they started to run to the opposite place where Link just came from and back to the woods the boy and the little foal went.

* * *

The ride thought the strange vegetation was quite tenser and oddly enough a lot quieter than before as if the mood shift that had fallen the little Kokiri was somehow shared to the previous inhabitants of these parts. The track also gave Link a moment to consider his new companions. 'Although one of them is caring a sword, they all seemed to be more prepared to make supper than to fight anything more terrible than a chicken…', and with a shudder the boy quickly corrected himself '…than a rabbit, and they would probably defeat it with one of those pans.' What was apparent then was that he was the only fighter within the group and with that evil being possibly after them, that was an unsettling thought. Link decided to ride as close as Epona could physically tolerate from the other four, because he would not let that black thing get a chance of harming any of those present if could help it.

As the sun was setting, the light began to fade, increasing the number and size of the shadows all around them. As the darkness grew, so grew their uneasiness, and just as their courage was valiantly fighting back the waves of fear intruding their mind, a loud and high pitched shriek echoed in the blackness of the woods, and in shambles they were as their wits fled from them. Run they did, as fast as they could, from the source of so terrifying scream. And just then the voice of the strange child echoed in their ears, "Run, run to the ferry, I'll try to delay him, do not wait for me, for I'll be there before you are gone, and if not, you must go on!". And as he finished saying that Frodo turned around just in time to see a small triangle shinning in the boy left hand as it grabbed the hilt of the sword the little elf kept in his back, and then the moment was lost and the run resumed.

Link turned his back to his new companions to face their pursuer, and he felt his courage waver for a second as he saw not one but three black riders in front of him. He could only cast two light arrows, and forever lost he would be since even if for a miracle both of the riders ran after being hit, losing one's conscience in the presence of even one of those terrible enemies would definitely bring doom upon himself. 'So the light arrow is out of question…' he thought as the three riders made their way towards him, confident the small being in their presence would be crushed before long. 'Coming towards me… that's it! I must put everything I've got in this spin attack.' "I'll be right back old girl, wait for me here, ok?" and without waiting a reply the boy jumped off the little horse and ran, ran to his doom, with a shining light in the hand that valiantly held his sword and with a determined gaze the boy ran towards evil.

The boy waited until he was only a few paces away from the black things before coming to a complete stop. Wasting no time at all his sword began to shine, blue light surrounding it with great intensity. And so, most intriguingly if an outsider was ever watching this scene, the tall and terrible riders that were the personification of everything that was bad and horrible in the race of Man hesitated in front of a small child. As their gaze sat on the shinning blade their pace quickened in an urge to reach the pathetic creature before it had any chance to annoy them further. And to said creature apprehension settled in, he was almost done, and as a black sword came his way his own sword turned orange, signaling that it was time, with an eager and determined face he began his technique. With an explosion of light that had in its middle a spinning green dot, three black capes with their users still attached flew backwards, until they became but a blur mixed together with the shadows of the woods.

As the world became still again Link could see that he was thankfully alone in the woods, no unnatural darkness hovered in front of him. He let out a sigh of relief, only to spot a black sword laying just a few inches from his feet, realization settling in that he had been but moments from never finding out what this world could offer. He took a step back and almost fell as strength began to leave his legs, but then he forcefully decided that thinking about what could have been was quite unfruitful and that he must leave that spot at once since he probably only pushed back those creatures just a bit and when they come again they would surely be madder at him. Just as he turned around he was greeted by his old time companion, and a smile took over his troubled face. "Come on girl, time to make a run for it and keep my promise to the little people, think you'll be fast enough to reach them before they leave or the black riders catch up with us again?" And with indignation building up said little horse darted ahead in the direction the others had gone with as much speed as she could muster just as the boy was finishing climbing up.

They rode for just about fifteen minutes before the sound of the river went directly to their ears, and just a moment later said river, a small pier and a small set of wood planks that could barely be called a ferry was in sight and on top of it his four previous companions were working to unmake the knots that kept the little vessel in its place against force of the violent waters. Just as they were working in the last rope Link yelled "Hey, wait up!" He was close enough to hear sight of relief coming from them and then, one moment later he was there, at the ferry, surrounded by impressed looking, hairy feeted and smaller than they should have been adults as the last rope was thrown away and the will of the river was obeyed at last.

* * *

The next hour and a half was quite uneventful if not informative. As he began to settle in the small raft, making some place where Epona could rest a little since the foal was quite uneasy near so much water, his lack of magic and stamina finally began to be noticed as adrenaline left his blood stream, he decided that a talk would be perfect to fight a will to nap that insisted in making itself present. So he began to chat with his new companions, he learned their names: Frodo the leader, Sam the gardener, Merry and Pippin the singers and general mood raisers. After being told that they were Hobbits from some place called Shire and asking about what Hobbits really meant, he finally got the confirmation that they were indeed from a different race. Unfortunately for the Hobbits there were little Link could do to satisfy their curiosity about himself. He decided to stick with half-truths and so he began his tale.

He told them that his parents died when he was really young and that just before his mother passed away she left him in the care of a powerful and kind guardian. After his guardian was killed, he decided to leave his home so that the slayer could be brought forth to justice. He eventually managed to prove the man was guilty and made sure he would be imprisoned for a long time. After his quest was done, there was little else left in his home, so he decided to journey to new lands, and eventually after one adventure or two, he ended up where he is now. But he wandered far, so far that he became lost, and most of the land surrounding him became unknown. They seemed to accept his tale and he was happy, he would rather avoid lying.

As the journey in the small ferry continued Link learned that there was a great likelihood that the riders were indeed after them and that they must reach a village called Bree because a great wizard would be waiting for them there. 'A wizard, now I'm really curious, I've just ever met a couple of witches, well two pairs to be exact, I wonder how a wizard would be like.' and as he wondered he noticed that a worried look came to the hobbits, tilting his head he asked what was wrong. "Well you see" Frodo began "we are supposed to meet Gandalf, that's the wizard's name, in a tavern, and we just realized that a tavern is not really a place for a small boy to be at night". That hit a nerve, hard, he had to fight with all the strength he had left to not frown or pout. Finally he manage to calm down and said in a not quite honest happy tone "Don't worry, I used to go on a tavern all the time, the place was really depressing I tell you, but the drinks were quite superb, especially the milk, and I really liked the bartender, nice chap he was." 'Yeah that didn't feel convincing at all…' He thought bitterly, 'but by Farore let them drop the little boy thing, I have the same height as them!' and then a pout formed anyway, and if it was noticed by any of the hobbit no words were uttered. It was with a sour mood that the boy found himself in as the small group finished their travel by the river.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: WolfShadow96 Thanks for your comment and for pointing that out.

I own nothing.

Hope you all enjoy

Just a reminder

' ' Thought

" " Speech

* * *

Chapter 3 – A slight tingling in his fingers

The process of docking went smoothly, since the river slowed down quite a bit just before their destination. Moments later the ferry was safely in place in a pier that was substantially larger than the one they used to embark and out came 5 little people and came they did but not as strangers as they were when their journey in the turbulent waters began. For now they knew at least a little bit about each other, and if not for long, the dangers that they faced and the fact the newest member had already risked his life to save the other four made them all closer together. The sharing of the young one story made them worried, and with that came, annoyingly for said boy in the group, the idea that he should be protected since his carelessness, although it played an unquestionable important part in the saving of them all, had clearly take a physical tool on the elfling. For the last part of the hour the boy was showing clear signs of fatigue that he seemed to be putting a lot of effort to hide.

Just after they left the ferry a torrential rain started, and with that a new incentive for them to reach their destination had now presented itself as Link clothes became as wet as if he had not used the small vessel at all. The others were luckier since they had the good sense of wearing capes, and were successfully using them to stay as drier as someone could with so much falling water all around. Link was just finishing tending his equine friend when an involuntary shiver ran through his body. Sam noticed the shiver, and without uttering a world pushed the now shivering boy under his cloak as he was saying "come now master elf, while it may not be the best protection against all this wetness, at least is better than nothing." Just as he was finishing it was Frodo's time to address him. "Link, you understand that we must stay secret right?" and a nod was enough confirmation for the hobbit to continue "while the Elves are well known and respected throughout the land, they are not common in this parts, especially in Bree, so could you please hide your ears in your hat, they are the symbol of your people and would draw a lot of stares." The boy just nodded again in agreement and did what was suggested.

As they reached the gates that signed the entrance to the town of Bree Link suddenly realized that the wall and the gates were, in fact, in the correct scale, as if they were made by adults standards, and no hobbit adult, but adults the size of a Hylian or someone in Termina. After traveling with his companions he half expected the town to be the in the scale of Kokiri forest, made for small people by small people. And since this was not an elven village, and quite clearly not a Hobbit village unless the hobbits were compensating for something, then there must be another race that were at least as big as the Elves. 'If the hobbits thought I could fit in by hiding my ears… maybe this race has squared shaped or round shaped ears or something…' And as Links mind wondered about the unknown race, Frodo knocked at the gate, calling for the person guarding it. As a small opening made itself present in a height that quite obviously was too high for any of the group to be noticed Link was thrown out of his mental wondering, and just as he was about to yell so they could be seen the small opening closed just for another one, and one that were in their eye level thanks the gods, to present itself with what appeared to be an elderly man, 'and an elderly man in the right size' Link though in amusement.

"Hobbits? Four hobbits? What business do you hav…"but then the man saw Link, soaked to the bone and shivering, noticing this Frodo quickly added "We found him lost by the road, we had business in Bree and it was our intent to come in the morrow, but we couldn't let the lad sleep like this." 'Smooth' thought Link between shivers 'Really smooth, Frodo may be a better leader than I had first thought.' "Right, quickly now" the man said as he was opening the gates "and make sure the lad sleep in dry and heated place, fevers can be quite dangerous at his age" and as they entered the village with no more questions asked Link was finding he was quite oddly okay this time around for all his shortness and childish looks.

As they entered the village the first thing he noticed was, 'Ok, so the difference is because the ears are round and short' I wonder what their race is called' and then he noticed the village itself. It was dark, and not only because it was night, the buildings were made in what seemed to be dark stone, and the fact that the roads were quite poorly lit was not helping one bit. The buildings themselves looked like they would have a normal height, and that made them quite tall considering how close to the floor Link was. Overall the feeling that the streets kept sending as they ran to the tavern that Link just learned was also an Inn was that the town was not friendly. At least it didn't seem to be hostile, it was just like if this village was in an eternal broody mood.

Thankfully the Inn, apparently called Prancing Pony for some odd reason, was close to the entrance of the town, and after reluctantly leaving Epona in its stables to be cared by the stable boy present, they all went in. The warmth that greeted them as they entered was a great change from just moments before, and the overall impression of the place was quite welcoming, even though the ceiling was high the combination of laughter, the light and warmth made by the big fireplace in the middle of the room as well as all the candles set on the wall made the environment feel comfortable and friendly. It was just as they were admiring the view of the tavern that a man behind the counter noticed them, with a friendly smile he welcomed the group to his establishment "Hello little masters, if it is room you need we have good hobbit sized beds, mister…" "Underhill" Frodo said at once, and Link just smiled at the blatant lie that escaped not quite so naturally from the hobbit "the name is Underhill", and then Frodo could not hold himself any longer "do you know Gandalf the grey? Can you tell him we've arrived?" he eagerly asked, but all his eagerness was met with a frown "Gandalf?" The owner seemed to ponder for a moment "Oh yes, the nice fellow with a big pointed hat" and there were nod of agreement from the hobbits "Haven't seen him for six months." and then all their spirit were shattered. At that precise moment a loud sneeze came involuntary from the boy in wet green clothes "Now we can't have that, come sit by the fire lad, I'll bring you a towel." The owner turned to the hobbits "I assume you will take a room for five then mister Underhill." and as he looked to Link he added "Hobbit size?" Frodo once again took the lead and responded "that would be more than welcome good sir, and thanks for looking over our companion" and with that the group separated, the hobbits taking their things to the room, and the boy busy trying to dry himself in the mist of so much loud chatter and laughs.

Sitting on a hobbit sized chair by the fire was almost too much comfort for Link, for once it was nice to finally sit in a chair and be able to put his feet on the ground. The fire was mostly successful in drying the front of his tunic, but his shield was doing an annoyingly good job in shielding the back of his clothes from the confortable towel, to make matters worse the heat of the flames was almost as successful in making him nap. Deciding that he would have none of that, and that the best way to fight a nap was to move around and find something to drink, since he was after all in a tavern, he started to look for someone who could get him a glass of the most popular beverage. He barely left his chair when a serving man approached him asking if he wanted anything, as he turned around he saw that everyone held mugs in their hands. Link then asked if he could have what everyone else was drinking. The response came with a frown in the face of the man as he said "well I suppose I could serve you some, but I might have to water it down a bit". 'I… will… NOT… pout…' Link forced a smile "Its ok sir, I'm actually quite used to strong drinks" and he certainly was, he used to drink Chateau Romani all the time in Termina, and that was unquestionably strong. "Well lad, if you want it I'll bring you some, but it will be in hobbit size." This time the smile was a lot more sincere as Link thanked the man.

While he was waiting for the drink his companions arrived and then decided to find a table that would be enough for all. That kind of effort was particularly easy as in the next moment all of them were comfortably sited in a table their size, and as they chatted about the tavern and its happy people the serving man found Link at last "Well lad, here it is, enjoy" and with a swift and skillful movement he put a mug on top of the table. Link had just the time to wonder what kind of liquid would make this much foam when Frodo asked "That's ale Link, it's not supposed to be for kids" but the boy was in no mood for discussion at the moment and responded "It's ok mister Underhill, I'm quite used to strong drinks" and then with a frown in his face he began drinking before any other protest could be made.

* * *

Later that evening, ten minutes later to be exact, amongst the noisy chatting of the many people present a small blond boy clad in green was drunkenly ranting about someone, ignoring the worry stares he was receiving from his companions. "Why did she do it? It was over and we were free from the evil, so why did she do that…" the boy said, with half opened eyes that were staring at the hobbits but were not seeing them. "How much has he drunk already?" asked Frodo with concern and to that Pippin commented, in a mix of worry and amusement "I think he just finished his third sip." Link was not over just yet, and after taking another sip he continued "… and then she had to go away, to a place where I could never follow, how I'm going to say that I wanted to stay by her side? When in a blink of an eye it was all over and she was gone beyond my reach… WHY ZELDA?!" After the high pitched cry of anguish two loud thuds echoed in the room, the source of one was a mug still half filled with ale falling into the wooden table, the second source was the small head of a small boy crashing into the same table as he fell into slumber.

There was a rather unusual silence, especially in a tavern at that particular time of the night, where most of the present were gazing at the small boy while he peacefully slept with a mug still in his hand and with his head resting in a puddle of ale that had spilled probably as a result of recent events. "Poor lad, to have experienced that at such a young age" said some unidentified person, breaking the uncomfortable silence and almost everyone nodded in sympathy. And then just as sudden as it had being halted, the loud sound of an innumerable amount of people talking at the same tame started again.

Just as they were staring at the sleeping boy, not exactly knowing what to do, a big hooded figure clad mostly in black clothes approached the table where the little group was and announced just as he removed his hood "I will help you bring the lad to you room mister Underhill." They could deny the man, but as Link was actually their height if just a little bit taller they would have quite a lot of difficulty in bringing him to his bed, especially climbing to the stairs. Still someone wearing so much dark clothes could not easily be trusted, so it was with weary eyes that they slowly nodded their approval. The man easily lifted the boy and laid him sleeping against his chest, head resting in his shoulder and began the track out of the tavern part of the building and towards the rooms, closely followed by the group of four Hobbits. As they reached the corridors, instead of making to the stairs he turned around to see if they were alone, as they were he turned to Frodo and lowered himself so he could whisper in his ear "you all draw too much attention to yourselves, I know what hunts you, and going back to your quarters is a bad idea, I'll take the lad to my room of which the number is 15, pic up your things and meet there." The man then turned to stare Frodo in the eye, and the Hobbit could see that behind the stern gaze there was actually honesty and somehow kindness. After the hobbit gave him a nod said man left, and as seeing that Frodo made no movement to follow the other hobbits were frowning, but before they could say anything Frodo just announce "later, follow me please" and to the credit of his leadership skills, no other words were muttered, and follow they did.

* * *

The boy had been a little heavier than Aragorn first tough, but the blame to that probably will befall the shield, quiver full of arrows, sword and bow that the kid carried in his back. It amazed Aragorn how well all of those things were set in the boys tunic, everything was positioned in a way as to take as little space as possible, and even in movement all the weapons held up as thought they were firmly secured. All of that was more incredible if one would take notice that the actual tunic the boy was wearing was in fact made of a rather light fabric, and only a leather belt going from the boy left shoulder to his right waist was all that he apparently needed to keep everything in its place. All those little facts were telling a rather disbelieving Aragorn that if it was the boy that arranged his weapons this way, then he might be actually a quite seasoned warrior. Of course the logical part of his mind lost to the emotive part of him as he thought that it was nonsense, the boy was just too young to be fighting with all this equipment.

As he was walking he noticed with the arm he set the boy on that the greed tunic was actually quite wet in some places, and before the thought that the kid had actually not manage to hold some of the ale he had consumed made itself present in his mind, a thunder roared in the sky and a strong light almost instantly appeared throughout the corridors windows and then was gone, helping Link to maintain a little bit of his dignity as that reminded Aragorn of torrential downpour that was happening outside and making him guess the boy had been playing in the rain.

When he arrived he went directly to the bed, the first order of business was to get the boy out of his damp clothes so they could dry properly without making the kid sick in the process. He was again surprised to see how easily every part of the child gear came out if pulled in a particular way and the image of the kid being experienced fighter just stubbornly made itself present again. After all the little weaponry was off, Aragorn began to remove the kid strange hat, but then, of all the things that could happened that night, that was by far the most unexpected. In shock all the mind of Aragorn could produce was nothing at all. A moment later all his mind was able come up with was a single word, a word that echoed in his brain with so strong of a sound that was only comparable to a stampede of oliphants, and that word was 'points'. He could not stop looking at the two things that had just popped out of the green hat, it was as if he had never seen it before, well of course he had, just not so small… the boy golden hair lay between them, but they made themselves present either way. It was undeniable, but when his mind started to work again, all he could do was deny. 'how could it be' 'It wasn't possible' 'but no one have heard of him, no one knew one had been born, he would have known, he grew up with them' 'It just couldn't be, it was an impossibility, but it was in impossibility that was currently resting in damp green clothing' 'Off all the places for me to find out he existed, to meet here in Bree'.

For how long he stared at the two pointed ears presented in the now impossibility that rested in his bed no one ever knew, and the daze that his mind was refusing to let go was not broken even when four Hobbits entered the room. What they found was a wide eyed man, without any color in his face, looking at something in his bed as if he was gazing at the most amazing thing ever to have graced Middle Earth.

After some undetermined amount of time the man finally notice he was not the only conscious being in the room, and turning to the hobbits he uttered in sober voice "We need to talk, but first help me with the lad, his clothes are still damp and I fear a fever will make itself present if nothing is done about it." It was Sam time to say something, he had not quite agreed with Frodo in this, even with his friend assurance that someone who would warn them about the black riders would not be an enemy it was still not enough to trust the lad with a person wearing so much black, and he asked "How can we trust you? And who are you anyway?" to that Aragorn gazed at the chubby Hobbit and responded with an even voice "I'm a friend of Gandalf, I was waiting for you in his stead since the beginning of the past week, and most know me by the name of Strider, as others call me Aragorn." And then he sighed "We'll have the night to talk, but first help me with the boy." As they seemed to agree on that at least for the moment, the five of them turned to the sleeping child. Most of the weapons were already resting in a table in the side of the bed, but Aragorn and now Frodo still found the boy was carrying two small bags strapped on either side of his waist belt. They decided it would be more polite if they leave the content of said bags alone for now, Frodo then reached for the inside pocket of the boys tunic where he remembered the boy had put his little blue flute, making Aragorn quite curious at the strange musical instrument.

Moments later as a small boy laid sleeping in a considerably large bed under a couple of thick blankets, his clothes were resting on a chair in front of the rooms fire place, the man was sitting on the other chair that the room offered, looking outside the window and four hobbits made themselves confortable on the side of said bed facing said man eager to start questioning this so called Strider about what he knew about the riders and especially about Gandalf, or at least the lack of his presence.


	4. Chapter 4

I own nothing.

Hope you all enjoy

Just a reminder

' ' Thought

" " Speech

* * *

Chapter 4 – To new friends, new destinations and not so interesting names.

Talked they have for what appeared hours. The man named Aragorn had explained to the others who were awake in the room exactly what kind of peril they were in by telling the story of the ringwraiths, also named Nazgûl, and how they were once proud kings of men, twisted and bound by the will of the dark lord Sauron, unable to die or to be killed by any mortal man. The black riders were terrible beings that stopped at nothing to make the will of their master made true. Just as Aragorn was saying that Merry had lost the battle of his own will to continue hearing the tale "That might as well have been proven wrong mister Strider, since in this bed lay one that managed to stop not once but twice this so terrible a foe."

That made the man gasp in surprise, his eye traveling between each one of the Hobbits, hopeful that the realization he just reached when Meriadoc uttered those words was wrong, but each negative made his startle grow in his mind, until finally he held gaze with the ring bearer, and with a sign said bearer responded "It is true, we were found by those evil riders on the road some miles away from Bree. But just before being found by them we came a across this child named Link, we were starting our conversation when It was interrupted by the sound of so dark a horse coming for us at full speed. Just as the thought that the doom of us all had arrived, the boy took one if his arrow, and to the startle of the four of us, he used some kind of magic that made the arrow shine in bright light".

That was too much for Aragorn, and all the mask of stoic respectable ranger that he held so close to himself for such a long time fell in the floor in shambles again, twice in the same night no less, as he looked in utter disbelief at the Hobbit. 'How could it be? The boy was not only an elfling, which was an impossibility by itself, but was he now an Istari too?' it was just too much "wait, are you saying the boy is a wizard?" the man asked, still with shock in his face. To that the Hobbit leader pondered for a moment, making his thought known to all "It was my first thought, for the light he imbued in the arrow certainly looked magical, and it was in fact effective in stopping the Nazgûl and eventually made him go away" "but from what we herd the boy say after he was successful, the lad had no power left after the sixth arrow, that made me think he was doing actual elf magic instead of the ones made by the Wizards, since it looked and felt different than the ones we've all seen Gandalf do trough the time he spent in the Shire." "That might be so" Aragorn gave in "For know the elves I do well, and even if I've never saw their magic being used in so direct a way, the manner in which you described the boy's ability surely makes me think of an elfish magic rather than the ones from the Wizards." But then he remembered what had been said by Meriadoc "But you said the boy drove said foe twice, how could he have driven a Dark Rider a second time if he was without his magic?" he asked as he turned to said Hobbit. "That is a mystery to us all" Frodo continued "For once we were on the run from said evil, desperately trying to reach Bucklebury Ferry, we heard the terrifying cry again and this time the boy told us to wait in the ferry for him, that he would stop them." And as Aragorn was about to say something Frodo quickly continued "The moment I turned to make my objection I saw a golden triangle shinning in the hand of the child, said hand holding so fiercely the hilt of his sword that all the doubt left my mind, and against my better judgment I found myself obeying a child and running away from evil while being protected by such young a being." And in that phrase the Ranger could feel all the regret that the Hobbit felt for that act, and any accusation he was ready to make to said little man was left in silent.

As the lack of words suddenly came to all present in the room a whimper made itself heard, and as one all of the adults turned to see the boy moaning in his sleep, painful expression in his face as he moved his head from left to right as if trying to escape from whatever was tormenting him. Before the Hobbits could notice the man was sitting in the bed in the opposite side of them, he then held a hand in the child forehead and whispered in a calm and soothing voice "Calm little one, no one will hurt you here" and began he did chanting what appeared as an elf lullaby, and trouble left the boy's face as he seemed to calm down, falling again in a peaceful slumber.

"That was elfish wasn't it?" Pippin asked in an amazed wonder. "It was, mister Took, for it was sang to me wen trouble I found in my sleep. Luckily it did affect the boy, for I feared the troubles of facing certain doom twice in a day to be far beyond what little comfort a lullaby could offer." To that the response was of shame from the other four, and the thought emerged in each Hobbit that they would find whatever way was possible for such a shame never to be felt again, for having such a young child paying such a heavy price only so they could run away was such a hefty price in itself that they could not afford to pay a second time.

Silence was again dominating the room, each inhabitant lost in his own thought, for how long of a time they lay there no one seemed to keep count. But long it was for way past the mid of the night came the recognizable loud cry from the terrible creatures, and as a relief to most of the present distant they were, more out of frustration instead of malice they were uttered. That made no difference to one boy as he heard this cry for the third time that day he woke up in a startle, and before anyone noticed an elfling was standing up in his bed ready to grab a sword that unfortunately for him was not present in his back.

Link had but heard the cry before he woke up, he almost unconsciously reached for his sword only to find it lacking from his back. Then immediately came a horrifying headache, all the startle fleeing his mind as he felt like a thousand Gorons were pounding his head. The last unconscious movement was to squat, hands grabbing his head as if trying to physically make his mind stop spinning. It was a lost effort, but he kept it anyway. As everyone seemed to calm down from the fright that the evil cry made them feel, the fact the child had awaken made itself present but before any word could be said the contain of what had been the boy's lunch was involuntary cast away from his digestive system by the wrong end. He managed to finish throwing up whatever he had held up until now but he could not move from his stance, his head hurt too much for any kind of movement, and still he stayed, trying to hold back what little he had left in his stomach. Just as he found that to be a lost battle a pot was put in front of him by someone, and relived he was for a moment until he resumed his last order of business.

It was after a while before Link had been able to say something, and during that silent time he was given a shirt to wear and a mug of what appeared to be some kind of tea. After his head had cleared enough so he could consider his surrounding, he noticed he was in a room most probably on the inn he last remember himself to be in. The four hobbits were helping the big man to set up the bed so it could be useful again to more than just to house a few half-digested food. His head was still a little fuzzy and it still had about a hundred Gorons pounding on it, but at least it was in working condition again, and that was a relief. As they finished setting up the room all the adults turned to the child sitting in the chair by the window looking outside. "I am quite sure I'm used to strong drinks, but what I was given this night is closer to poison than any other thing I've drank before…" Said child uttered, more to himself, but his words were not lost for the other five, "What you consider a strong drink I do not know child" Aragorn began "But what you drank tonight is something with a substance called Alcohol, and someone should have told you that it is pretty much poison to such young a person as yourself" and to that he gave an accusing look to the Hobbits that did not miss Link's momentarily damaged perception "Do not blame them, oh mighty man who's name I know not, for there was a lot of warnings about what I was about to do, and the guilty party for all that has occurred in this terrible night was no other than myself." And the boy continued "might you be the wizard my companions were supposed to meet up in this fine establishment? "

The response the boy had given got Aragorn off guard yet again, for once he didn't expect the kid to hold his gaze to his own, to say such kind of words and to admit guilt this easily. None of those were childish behavior, and even if elflings took more years to grow up then the child of the other races, from every tale he herd in Rivendell all pointed out that they just behaved as normal kids, even if it was for a longer time. 'What had made this boy try to appear as an adult way before his time?' he wondered, but none of his thoughts were uttered, instead he introduced himself to said strange boy, saying that he was a friend of the wizard that was asked to meet up with them in his stead if anything went wrong.

'A least this Gandalf is reasonable enough to put failsafe in his plans' Link thought "So what is the next step?" he asked the man and the response came without hesitation "We must ride to the Elven city of Rivendell in haste, for there we will find shelter from the evil that is pursuing us. We must leave just after sun rise, for I will not offer the start of this journey to the darkness of night." That sounded like a reasonable plan, and Link was beginning to like the stern man, he seemed practical, and above all else, he could recognize him as a warrior, and the sense of relief that the security of the Hobbits would not befall his person only was comparable as the first time he took the Deku Mask off. "We shall take what little rest we can before leaving, go to sleep and I shall wake you when the time comes" The man said, and to that the boy had no objection at all.

* * *

'By Farore please tell me that this isn't happening' A boy found himself in a state of shock, and his mind was blank with the absurdity of the situation. Yes he overslept a little, but then he was promised to be woken up, and now that consciousness had been regained by himself he felt almost as worse as he was the first time he got out of slumber in that damned night. For he was in the open, already out of the village of Bree by the looks of it, the sun had passed way beyond it's first rise, but that was not his most immediate issue, for said issue was due to him being carried by the tall man from the night before, the so called Aragorn. 'Carried in my sleep, how further down the drain can one go?' he bitterly thought. He had to fight every fiber of his being not jump out of the man's hold, instead he raised his head and asked in a demanding tone "Put be down please, I can use my two legs for their original purpose now."

Reluctantly the man put the boy down, and as they marched through a beautiful piece of open field following no road at all, Link was glad to see his little foal friend again, she seemed to be in high spirits trotting alongside a pony that had seemed to have quite unwillingly joined their adventure. He was also glad to be in his familiar clothing once again and every equipment he had was on its intended place resting as they should in the place where they belong. 'That must be thanks to Aragorn' he thought, for the way he set up his weapons in their place would surely be lost to one not used to combat.

As the sun began to set in its highest position for this time of the year, whatever season it may be, the Hobbits were once again complaining about the lack of food going in their mouths for what seemed to be at least the tenth time since consciousness had come back to Link. That made the boy wonder about them, for most of the time adults they behaved as, so much so that one could easily see the real size of their spirit that seemed to always be in conflict with their physical self. But other times their behavior would be so much childlike that if it weren't for their faces they could just wear a green tunic and blend in with the members of a race he knew so well, for he was part of them. He then realized what the other four had, for it was something he had long lost and forever it would be out of his reach. It was innocence, not the complete one that a small child has, but one that told of a lack of experience in the ways of evil, of what it could do, of the violence and the utter chaos that it could bring to the lives of so many, of the easiness it sets in and how difficult it is to be purged away. At that moment the child felt sorrow, for he knew before their journey was to end that his companions would not be able to keep a hold on this gift, for the evil that was coming for them was barely something he could stop for long, even with the help of their newly found companion.

Said companion decided then that the time did finally call for lunch, and announced to the utter happiness of four present that a pause for eating would finally happen. That made said companions mood raise to new highs, and soon they were merely making themselves occupied with the process of seasoning and fire making. That meant that both man and boy found themselves sitting cross legged on the grass without much to do except to stare at each other, and before the man could break the sudden silence that had befall them, the boy took the initiative.

For it had escaped the attention of the boy until now, but he just noticed that the man had rounded ears, and he could not get a hold of his curiosity for rounded ears did seemed to be quite different from what he had seen so far, except for the last village he had just been in, and forgotten he did of asking what the name of that race was. But time had come for him to learn about them especially since their new companion seemed to belong to it. So it was without a moment of hesitation that the child asked the man, only curiosity could be heard in his voice "Aragorn, I'm from lands far from here, and so it happens that I've never seen the race that made the most part of the inhabitants of the village of Bree, could you tell me the name of the race you seem to belong?"

That made everyone stop, as one all their attention came to the words uttered from the child, for they all knew the boy claimed to be from somewhere far away, the Hobbits had informed the man the night before, but how far away can a child be from to not know of the most numerous race from all middle earth? How could he not have heard the might and proud race of beings as numerous as they were in all known lands? To the man each time he spends with the elfling more of an impossibility he seemed to be, and for him to not know the race of Man. 'Could he come from…? But he never knew of an elf that came back from that journey, it was the most definite destination one could set to, yet how to explain the child lack of knowledge of the race of Man?' There were no answers in the head of Aragorn, instead only questions emerged, and the time that took for all present to absorb the significance of the words just uttered by the boy coupled with the stares cast in his way made apprehension set itself in said child, and it was with some uncertainty that he added "I apologize if I any wrong I did with my question, I just…" but the man quickly intervened " No wrong was done child, we were just surprised that you didn't know of my race since it is quite numerous in these parts" and without entering in the detail of how much of a startle it was he completed "I am from the race of Man" well technically he was not quite, but the man decided to leave that fact to be expanded upon in another time.

'The race of Man' the boy repeated in his mind 'That's…' he took but a moment to gather his thought in a less abstract of a way 'That's so unoriginal and confusing! It's almost the same as to name an ocean or a lake Water or to call the land you live in Earth.' he started ranting on his mind 'And what kind of sane collectivity would willingly call themselves the Race of Man? It was just too simple! By that logic you could have the Race of Woman, the Race of Boy, the Race of Girl or even a race of Child, and in case of the Hobbits the Race of Child but not quite. It all sounds so unoriginal, but the worse is what to call someone from the so called Race of Man? In the race of Hobbits I suppose there are Hobbits man and Hobbit woman, and for the Elves that must be the same, just like for the Hylians and every other race I've found, but then would a Man be called a Man man? Then would a Woman be called a Man woman? That sounds so strange and prone to cause mistakes…' But he knew that a rant about the originality of names would be most rude of his part, so instead the boy just grabbed the stew that was offered to him and lost in thought and confusion said kid was as he ate his share of the lunch.


	5. Bonus Stuff

**AN:** This is not really a chapter, It will be just some scrapped parts of the story and why I haven't used them. It is just a curiosity thing, and it is why I'm publishing it with another real chapter, because you could totally ignore this if you just want to know what happens next.

* * *

Just as Aragorn was ready to remove the boy tunic he felt something in the kids back. What came out of it made everyone present quite curious. It was a mask, but not just some random tribal bask, it appeared well made, and the material used seemed to be something different from everything they knew, and to a man raised by the elves that was an impressive yet quite alarming fact. But what caught everyone attention was that the mask had in fact definite features, and not just that, its features were as the ones the boy would have when he grew up, as if someone knew how the kid would look like in about 35 years. Even the hair style was almost an identical representation of the one the boy uses. And the eyes, the eyes were as black as the night, as if they were a void sucking all of the light that managed to reach them. All of them stared at the strange object, but it was the man the most alarmed by it, for said man could fell something about that mask, there was an aura of power emanating from it 'It's not evil a least' thought the man 'but it doesn't feel like it was good either, it's just like it was an embodiment of a fierce and powerful determination.' And so it was that Strider put said mask at the table, he didn't dare keep a hold of it for long, let alone put the thing in his face. After the dangers of said object was transmitted to the hobbits, who seemed to accept it without questioning, a time of a long due talk had finally arrived, and the four hobbits and the stranger readied themselves for what appeared to be a long and tiring night.

 **AN:** This was to be the last paragraph of chapter three. I had to do a lot of thinking before deciding to remove the Fierce Deity Mask from the story. As much as I liked it I wanted Link to experience the perils of Middle Earth as young Link and to deal with his childish appearance. Having him possess the mask, even with the restriction I made on his magic, would make half of the point of this story gone. I also truly believe that he would have been able to defeat just about everything in middle earth with it, even the Balrog, so any sense of danger would be gone from the story, and with no danger there is no adventure, well at least not a trilling one. There was a mention about how much time it would take for Link to grow if he were an Elfling (Elflings would grow five times slower then Humans) and I decided that I would not focus on the subject at this time ( I'm not sure I ever will since Link is in fact younger than an elfling would be with his appearance and that would just make things more confusing), so it was all for the better that it was also gone.

He also doesn't have all of his other masks because he did gave them all away for the Fierce one, and I believe he only get them back in the game because you are given the opportunity of replaying the game after its defeat.

What fate the Deity mask had is a topic for another time.

* * *

As they reached the mid of the day Link decided to ask "Aragorn, might we make camp here for lunch, there is something I want to ask of you" as the man nodded everyone else from de group became occupied in the making of said lunch. The boy asked the man to go with him on a clearing and as they reached it he announced "Please, fight with me, I must know the skill of the warrior that will help me defend the Hobbits from so much evil as we've encountered already." The man frowned at that "nonsense child, you need not to worry with that anymore, let me be responsible with the security of everyone" was the response, and then it was the boy's time to frown "I must insist, I must know if I can trust you if evil comes again" "I will not fight an little boy just to prove my skill." If Aragorn had said but different words the result might have been more pleasant, but as he uttered that phrase said kid was overwhelmed with a terrible and frightening annoyance. Before the man could react the gaze of said child turned from polite to cold, determination shinning on his eyes, the same bright as the ones present in a fighter just before he bets his last once of force in a struggle to defend what he felt was right. The sudden shift made the Man wary, but before he could do anything the boy had close the distance that lay between them and in a swift move unsheltered his sword and pointed it at the throat of said man. The moment lasted for a second before said kid whispered "please fight me seriously Aragorn, for I'm not to be taken lightly."

 **AN:** This was the fifth paragraph in chapter 4 after Link wakes up while being carried by Aragorn. Link was pissed to be carried by the man, but not enough to fight him, that would make him kind of a bully. He already knew the man was a good warrior only by looking at him in chapter three and by noticing how the man had arranged his weapons in the beginning of chapter four, so I found this had no place in the story, and that Strider would find in a more natural way the skill the Kokiri possesses with a sword.

* * *

While both boy and horse were stunned by the beauty of their surroundings the Cave, forgotten by the only people it had ever known, felt in despair. Its purpose in existence just being completed, nothing more seemed to be important to it. The feeling of not being worth anymore was just so overwhelming that it snapped. Its roof started to collapse, and with it the walkway between dimensions had been shut, at least shut to anyone without a shovel and enough determination, and the once might and powerful way uniting various worlds was no more.

Of course the existentialism problems of a hole in the ground were of no concern to Link and Epona, so quite understandably both of them took the sound of the depressed structure collapsing as just a peculiar background noise.

 **AN** : This was just about the ending of chapter one, when I still hadn't decided what the tone of the story would be. It was after some thought that I felt the story would be better with a mix of humor and seriousness, alternating between the two and never allowing too much silliness from the humorous part. After this decision this paragraph and a half had to obviously be gone. Also I think Link and Epona are being kind of mean in the end of it…

* * *

'I mean thinking about this situation, Say you are traveling and the person in your group that is keeping watch announces: "Here comes a group of Elves" and in said group there are two women, one boy and a girl. And then you came across another group, so the watcher of your own party announces again "Here comes a group of Man." And naturally you assume the group approaching is composed of men, so you ask "what races are they?" just to get the response "No, It is a group of Man, there are two woman, a man and a girl." This has to happen a lot in this parts, I mean could they not think about this before deciding the race name? Even being called the name of the land you were born with would be better, well except if your land also had a silly name…'

 **AN:** This was supposed to be the first paragraph of chapter 5, But I found that the joke had already been gone through enough in chapter 4, and that it would be too much of the same. I still like the logic of the thoughts and it is still reasonable to consider that Link was thinking about this at that time.


	6. Chapter 5

I own nothing.

Hope you all enjoy

Just a reminder

' ' Thought

" " Speech

* * *

Chapter 5 – A boy that fights.

The sun had began his descend for some time already as the party consisting of a boy, a man and four beings in between were traveling to the unknown destination, at least unknown to most of them. The boy, now riding his faithful companion, was once again stubbornly lost in his own thoughts, the topic raised that noon was still in his mind, and the rant seemed not to give away as the process of finding situations to where the so unoriginally named race would be an inconvenience for everyone else seemed to keep the kid quite occupied.

It was a surprise to said child then, when he found himself and the others back on the woods, the trail being chosen skillfully by Aragorn as the unusual party track silently behind him. The five small beings were following the tall man at some distance, so much so that it gave Sam the confidence to ask his leader in a lower voice "Do you trust him mister Frodo? Do you really think he will bring us to the gates of Rivendell? "

Just by subtle movement of the man's head Link could tell that he was listening, and in spite himself he could not hold the amusement that was forming in his mind, and so, just to tease the man for carrying him earlier, he entered uninvited in the conversation. "He had at least a dozen chances to betray us until now if he was to be indeed part of however evil is commanding the black riders. I might need to remind you that it was only thanks to him that we have seen the morning this day. For whatever worth you hold my word I would say he is as friendly as his looks seems to disagree."

The man flinched for a second, a small smile came to the face of the boy and just to add to the kid amusement, Frodo added "I agree with Link, for a servant of the Dark Lord would certainly look fairer, and seem fouler." It was with all the strength of will that he could muster than a boy found himself fighting for not falling in a terrible fit of laughter, he could have paid all the contents of his old bank account stamped in his right hand just so he could see the face said Man was making at the moment.

Deciding that he had teased enough of the Man, Link noticed that some previously unknown detail was just mentioned by the Hobbit, so to expand upon it he asked. "Dark Lord, is him the master of the Dark Riders?" he then added rapidly "well the names are obvious enough, who might this Dark Lord be if I may ask?"

"You may and I should have thought you would have known by now "Aragorn decided it was time to step in "For even if I think a boy should leave the worry of danger to adults, one should know of the perils that lay ahead. But alas, I'm not glad that this duty has befallen me, for I would prefer not to trouble you with such dark tidings." Link was ready to protest when the man, betraying his own words, started the tale of his lands.

So as time passed the group found themselves in the middle of the last rays of sunlight as the sun began to set in the ending of a long and arduous day. The last hour or so the boy had learned about a terrible Dark Lord that was trying to take over the known lands, about the reason said being was after them, for Frodo was carrying his most powerful weapon to the safety of the city of the elves, where it would hopefully be kept safe from evil while the rest of the races could deal with the minions of Sauron. That at least seemed to be the way that Aragorn hoped things would turn out, but to Link they seemed more like the man hope than a thought out plan. The fact that it had already started to go wrong with this Gandalf person sudden absence was just the first sign that things were not all too well, especially if such a powerful weapon that could decide the fate of all was traveling amongst such an unprotected group being targeted by such an overwhelming powerful foe as the just recently named Nazgûl.

I was at this time that Link decided he would help see this quest to an end, that he would fight with all his might for he would not see another world being destroyed by some delusional dark lord if he could help it, he would fight and give his life just so he could save one world from the fate of the terrible future he experienced, for that was too hefty a price to pay just satisfy a someone's thirst for power.

As the group was making ready to camp Pippin saw the frown in the kids face, but lost he was for what was troubling said child, seeing as no one else was about to break the silence that had befall the company while they were occupied with various things, he felt it was his duty to make the boring situation change. "So Link, if my memory serves me right you are caring a flute with you right? Care to play a song for us?"

The topic of the boy mind was momentarily switched as he considered said request. "I would gladly, but that would be unwise in the situation we find ourselves in, for I fear a song might actually call the terrible foes to us."

To that Aragorn had something to say "Don't fret little one, If you can manage to play in not a loud tone I dare say we won't be found, for the track we are taking is unknown to all but the most experienced ranger, and the wind and the sounds of nature are fair enough to give us some cover when it comes to sound."

'Well the logic is sound enough' thought the boy, "very well, pray tell me what kind of song would please the company"

"I think something calm would be most helpful after such an eventful day" Aragorn decided to join the conversation while setting up some branches in what would be in the near future not only the source their warmth but also the improver of that day dinner.

Set in Pippins body language, most obvious to all who bothered to look, was the silent disagreement to the man's point of view, for it was clear to Link that the hobbit was of the opinion that fun had a higher priority in the order of things than calmness. But Link was really not in the mood to play Saria's Song, for even though it was a happy music to most, for him it brought back quite a lot of memories, and some not so cheerful.

Just then his gaze came upon his faithful little friend, and decided it was the song to be played that night. Without further thought the boy took his prized ocarina from his inside pocket, found himself a suitable spot of land to sit in, and began he did to play the song that was named after the foal.

As the boy began the melody he became lost to everything around him, at least all other than the sweet song that now filled the little clearing that was to be the group encampment for the night, and so after admiring the calming sounds coming from the strange flute for a moment the group resumed their task of setting up things, letting the song calm their minds in the process.

Link spent quite some time playing the song of Epona, for it mainly brought him good memories of old friends and tasty milk. When he finished the little horse was resting by his side, apparently happy with the song chosen, and the camp was already set as was one of the many pans that was in possession of the hobbits with what appeared to be that night's dinner already in it.

And so after being given a bowl with that day's dinner the boy began to eat in silence, he found himself to be more tired than usual. 'Maybe this is my body way of saying that since I took not enough time to sleep in Termina I should have to balance somehow…' 'Or maybe I'm just becoming lazy, I guess I could blame Aragorn for that…' he thought as he looked to the man in question, he tried to frown half-heartedly, but he really couldn't because for a reason that he could not point out he actually didn't mind the Man in the group at all, even with all the protectiveness and fatherly way the man treated him. Just then terror surged in the boys mind as he thought 'Oh great Farore! Please don't tell me I'm actually enjoying being pampered!'

The face of pure terror that the boy was displaying while he was staring the camp fire, eyes fix at some place clearly seeing what no one else from the group could was not lost for the others present, and it was not helping the situation of the kid mind much when Aragorn took the initiative "Pray tell us what hunts you child."

The boy slowly lifted his gaze, meting the man's eye from across the fire, his expression suddenly changed from terror to one of pondering, a moment passed when no one in the group uttered a word, until the boy broke the silence "I…It's nothing" he stammered, in what seemed to the other five quite an uncharacteristic way "I'm just tired, I think I'll take an early sleep"

"If any trouble finds you I would be glad to have it known. Dark thoughts are better shared than kept in one's mind, for locking things away could only make them come back when ones last expects." Aragorn said, worry clear in his face, still looking at the child as if by doing that he could somehow discovers what was troubling the elfling.

Link was sure the man misread the situation, but he was just too tired and stunned by his early revelation to make a proper response, so he put the now empty bowl on the floor, turned away from the stares of the rest and responded in a quiet voice "I'm well, just tired, please excuse me for sleeping early." With that the boy took the blanket he was given earlier by the man and that was carried by Epona for the rest of the day, found a suitable place and curled down, sleep found him quickly even with his troubled state of mind, and no sooner the boy lay in slumber as the four adults considered the child with worry in their faces.

* * *

The group woke just before sunrise quite rudely by a sudden downpour or magnificent proportions, and that only signaled what the second day of traveling would be like. They all quite rapidly fitted themselves with the so important cape, Link finding one already fitted in him, he had a passing thought that Aragorn was the responsible, but it did kept the dampness away, and for once he didn't mind, much.

The mood for the rest of the morning as the company continued the journey was quite sour, every one of them was more preoccupied in being as dry as one could possibly be in all that rain, the result was that the path was taken in silence, no one in the mood to say anything worthwhile. At some point the little boy started to play a song, and after the melody was played by what appeared to be the second time, he gave in, and one could hear the elfling sigh in disappointment as he muttered "well at least it was worth a try".

Just as the noon fell the forest had suddenly given way to a swamp, one filled with mosquitoes and flies no les, the sudden change only meant that there was no way to stay out of the wetness, for the uneven ground was just too helpful in making everyone stumble from time to time.

It was at some point in the afternoon, while the company still traveled in the cursed swamp, that Merry couldn't take any more and in an irritable voice he commented to no one in particular. "What do they eat, when they can have any Hobbit?" he asked, slapping his cheek again in the futile attempt to stop the feast of the blood sucking insects.

Link himself was quite in a sour mood, he already had bad experiences with swamps in general, but even if this one had clear waters, he would rather bathe in some poison than have all his blood sucked little by little by some annoying bugs. So after slapping his left arm where about ten insects were having a feast, he responded "I can guarantee mister Meriadoc, that the menu for today's lunch consists on more than just Hobbits", and a neigh of agreement could be heard coming from the little foal just as it missed it's step and nonchalantly fell into the waters of the swamp for the fourth time that afternoon.

It was a bless of the gods that both the rain and the swamp had met their end just in the twilight of the setting sun, the fact that they had traveled in terrible conditions and could not stop for eating the whole day seemed to weight a lot on Link, he felt more than once the sudden need sleep, and since they had some time still before making camp, all so they could rest with the minimum amount of interference from the previously hungry local fauna, he had only the strength to climb on Epona before falling in deep sleep.

* * *

The sun was already past midday when he woke up again, suddenly he could just tell that something was not quite right, his head felt light, too light, and just to make an annoying contrast his body felt like he was wearing the iron boots, or to be more precise an iron tunic, the day was also quite unusually hot. He found himself riding in his faithful companion as Aragorn was walking by his left side, and when and involuntary groan escaped the boy the ranger quickly came to the boy aid.

"You have developed a mild fever child, drink this tea, it might help the process of bringing it down" Aragorn said with worry in his voice, and he gave the small cup to said child, he did try to help the boy with the process of drinking, but the look that Link gave him told that the child was not quite that unwell as to need help in that regard, and that his want to help would probably backfire as it had done in the past. "you should rest, let your friend do the walking for you today," the man said, tapping the little foal in the neck, receiving a neigh in agreement "We are but four hours from our destination of the day, Weathertop watch tower, there we would take the night to rest while being protected by its ancient walls, and it is there that Gandalf might find us if he was able to finish his affairs"

Link nodded once, and after giving the cup back to the man he found himself unable to hold into consciousness much longer, he had but the time to give Epona a pat in the neck and whisper in her ear "well old friend, seems like I'll be relying on you today" and back to deep slumber he went.

This time it was a startle that woke him, his awareness came back in a flash as he heard Frodo screaming "Put it out you fools, put it out!". Link had but a moment to get his bearing, he was on what appeared a way through some mountains, rock all around them, it was night, how far in the night he could not precise, but before he could get any more information from his surroundings, just as the hobbits were yelling at each other for reasons he could still not understand the high pitched cry came from down below, and that could only mean one thing, evil had find them at last.

The Hobbits, in despair, made the motion to go to the path leading uphill, Frodo calling Link as he saw the boy was awake, and the five of them ran as if death was only just behind. 'Where is Aragorn?' Link thought as he raced with the Hobbits, up and up they went, until finally they reach the top. 'By the gods, it's a dead end' and it certainly was, he found himself in some ruins of what appeared to be an ancient building long ago defeated by a war or the weather.

'That means one thing, I will have to fight, for the Hobbits are not ready to defend themselves, and I cannot use the spin attack or the bombs since I would be seriously risking the lives of the ones I'm trying to protect, so it's with a sword that this battle will be decided.' The boy was thinking rapidly, using his last moments of peace to try to come up with any strategy. But time was not on his side and in a moment not two but five Nazgûl came from the path below, reaching the top of the tower.

'If this is where I make my last stand, so be it' Link thought in a rather ferocious way. "Stand back, this foe is beyond any of you!" cried the boy as he took his bow, and moments later a rain of light arrows came crushing down the evil creatures. He was able to drive back one of the creatures but four were still approaching the group, it was then that the boy threw his bow aside, unsheathed his sword with his left hand, the triangle mark shinning in his skin, got his shield in his right arm and instead of waiting for his doom to come, the Hero of Time rushed in, into his doom so he could once again save the ones in need.

It was with a ferocious parry that the fight began, his usual tactic of deflecting the attacks aimed at him and then counterattack was barely working, there was just too many swords trying to strike him down, so he kept moving, jumping from one foe to the next, blocking as much as he could, and blocking was just all he could do for his sword was also occupied in maintaining life rather than taking it.

There was something wrong with his body, his movements were a little bit sluggish and slower than usual, and just as he dropped to his knee avoiding an uppercut he remembered 'Oh right, the fever, well that's going to be a bother' and then he had to jump to save his feet. He was doing a decent job in keeping his ground, and to an outside observer that was an impossible view, in the middle of some ancient ruins four of the meanest swordsman the world ever knew were being kept in check by a tiny boy wielding a sword that was little more than a knife and a small shield. As wondrous as it might have seemed at that moment the boy was slowly giving in, his arms started to ache with every swing of his sword and every block he successfully manage with his shield.

'I can't keep this up much longer' came the thought to said boy as he deflected yet another strike, and desperation took him, 'I need to at least keep them safe' and then said child turned to the group of four that were unable to do anything "Run! Run you fools! I'll hold them here!" Link cried to his friends, in a vain attempt to make his companions see common sense.

"We will not leave you here to die alone!" Responded Sam, and as one they charge at the knights, momentary defeating the fear they were feeling, and in a vain attempt to help the boy the Hobbits joined the fray.

"No!" was the only response that came from Link, for the Nazgûl would not waste such an opening, and one heavy strike hit the boy on his right side, and Link was sent flying into the nearest pillar, a great thud being heard when he hit it, as the two parts of what was once the shield of an hero were thrown beyond the wall and into the valley below.

All was blackness, but he knew he could not give in, not now, not when he was needed the most, and fighting against every fiber of his body that just screamed to give up, Link opened his eyes again. He could see that his sword was still in his hand, both Merry, Pippin and Sam were on the floor in a similar way as himself, and then he saw the black riders circling Frodo. 'I will not allow that to happen while I still have some breath in me'. He had just managed to stand up when Frodo suddenly vanished, and for a moment he felt relieved, maybe the hobbit knew how to teleport to somewhere else. But his relief only lasted some seconds, for something was very wrong, the dark riders were still looking at where Frodo was, one of them reaching out for him, and then realization just hit the confused child 'he did not teleport, he is just invisible and by the looks of it they can still see him'. Suddenly his body felt a jolt of energy as adrenaline rushed into his system, and at once he started to dash forward, to where his friend was in most need of help.

Link ran, as fast as he could, but something in his mind was telling him he just would not reach the hobbit in time. He could see the black figure recoil after trying to grab Frodo, and then he saw what would come next to his friend, Link was just a few feet away, but his mind was just filled with dread. Just as he was about to reach his little companion the boy saw in the corner of his vision that another Black Rider had noticed his movement and was preparing to strike him down. Link had but the time to stop the trike from hitting its intended target, but the price for the parry was hefty, for the child lost the grip on his sword in the process. Link didn't care, his mind set in one thing only, and that was to save the hobbit in need, so with no hesitation the weaponless child jumped forward. Just before the black sword hit the hobbit Link was there, using the momentum of his jump he managed to push the invisible Frodo aside.

'Just in time' he thought but his relief would only lasted a moment, for the next thing he felt was an overwhelming pain, a pain so strong he almost lost consciousness. He could do nothing more than scream, and scream he did, until he felt the blade go out of his flesh. In blind agony the last thing the boy saw was a black, tall and familiar silhouette holding a bright red light, and his last thoughts was 'Aragorn…'


	7. Chapter 6

I own nothing.

Hope you all enjoy

Just a reminder

' ' Thought

" " Speech

 _Sindarin (Elvish)_

* * *

Chapter 6 -The ring bearer

'Gods please make me reach them on time' Aragorn was desperate, he had been hunting in the surroundings of the tower of Weatertop, but just as he found game he heard the cry of the Nazgûl, and that frightened not only the deer that would have become their dinner but also the man, and apprehension set in him as he desperately tried to go back to the camp, the situation could not be worse, the ring bearer and the elfling had no one to defend them, he could only hope he could reach them in time, for otherwise his error and miscalculation might bring all of Middle Earth to the dark ages.

He took but five minutes to reach the base of the tower, he could hear the faint sound of metal hitting its equal, and quickened his pace he did, about halfway he found what looked to be some firewood half lit, and deciding that a torch could only help he caught the thickest piece of wood and threw some inflammable liquid he kept for emergencies. as he was about to reach the top of the tower he heard it, the sound he would never forget, the cry of absolute pain and agony, and it came from a far too young of a voice '…no!' was the only thing he could think, and then taken by a fury he never imagine he had, he jumped into the fray.

The first Nazgûl was pierced trough while another one was set alight, he was then hit in the head with a powerful fist strike, but adrenaline was just rushing in, and for the moment the man felt nothing. As the third dark rider had just started to make a forward trust towards him, in a blink of an eye the man avoided and at the same time counterattacked with a fierce stab. As the injured black creature stumbled away the last unfortunate evil took the just recently made torch to the face, rapidly catching on fire. The man was breathing heavily and his head was ringing, but his foe was successfully driven away. Unfortunately he had no time to celebrate, as the desperate cry from Frodo brought him back from the sudden battle frenzy.

"Strider! help !" as the man came to where the Hobbit and the elfling was Frodo began mumbling "they were trying to get the ring, I put it on but they still could see me, and they were going to stab me with that blade, but then Link came, he saved me, gods he saved me and got stabbed instead, oh poor lad!"

Frodo was in tears already, but the Man quickly turned to the boy 'please let it not be too late' he noticed the child was not moving, and for a moment he feared the worst, but as he came down to see the boy lying on his back, he could see the wound on the kid right shoulder, it was a deep wound but there was not bleeding, at least he could see the boy breathing, and hope came back to him, the child was alive! He lowered to see how the boy was faring and his heartbeat was strong, if not a little fast, and even without consciousness set in the face of the boy was an expression of pain, the mild fever was still present, and he only hoped it would not make things worse. The triangle mark in the child left hand was shining brightly, but he could not tell for sure if it was helping the lad not, at least he hoped that it would. As the man looked closely he could see that the boy body was full with smaller cuts, although most of them were quite superficial. There was also a nasty bruise in Link right arm, but a close inspection told him that luckily the arm was not broken.

Just as he was watching the boy Sam came with a sword "He was stabbed with this sword, the black rider left behind" he said as he gave the weapon to Aragorn

"This is a Morgul Blade, but how is this possible? If one was to be wounded by this they would start to become like the black riders, just a whisp of a being, neither living nor dead, I see none of the symptoms of it on the elfling…" the man pondered as the blade disintegrated in his hand "Alas he still have to be treated against the curse of the sword, and that is beyond my ability to heal, quickly we must reach Rivendell, for Elrond is the only one I know that could treat such a wound"

Just then everyone started to move, Merry and Pippin joined them with the equipment of the child, one holding the kid's sword while the other was caring his bow. As one the group made to the base of the mountain, the Man carrying the boy and the others running beside them. In a moment they reached the place where they had left the pony and the little foal, and it was as Aragorn was placing the boy on it that he whispered to the intelligent horse "your friend was injured quite badly, but you must not lose sight of the others, for I know who could treat him, we should go as fast as we all can". A nervous neigh was the response and for Aragorn that was good enough. So began a race against time, so that one injured boy could be saved.

* * *

The first day and a half had passed in alternation between walking and running, never did the company stop to sleep nor eat, everyone was apprehensive and preoccupied, especially one Hobbit, the one carrying the weapon of the enemy, for he was the one that most blamed himself. 'I had sweared that it would never happen again, that I would fight and never leave my protection on the fate of one so young, but it had happened once more, and the child almost paid the ultimate price for it.' And every other Hobbit had a similar though, for they knew the boy was fighting and holding his own against the creatures, but as they tried to help the only result was that those dark creatures not only finally bested the boy, but they failed utterly in being useful yet again.

Some hours after the sun had risen Aragorn stopped their run to check on the state of the boy, and it was a poor one. The initial impression that the kid might be resistant to the effects of the Morgul blade had passed, and it was visible in the face of the boy that he was beginning to be affected by the curse. His eyes had purple bags beneath them, and the skin surrounding the wound had started to turn a sick blackish. His temperature was almost normal, but a cold sweat still indicated that the fever was not gone, all this was not good, at their pace they were still three days from the city of the elves. He had to do the only thing he could. "Sam, come here" and as all the hobbits came as one he asked "I need to lower the effects of the sword, do you know of the plant called Athelas?" As the Hobbit frowned he instantly saw his mistake and corrected "You would know by the name of Kingsfoil"

"Kingsfoil aye, it is a well-known weed" and Frodo agreed with him, apparently knowing the plant as well.

"We need that weed to slower the progress of the sickness of the boy, help me find some in the wild" and without needing to say more the three of them went in the search of the so important weed, each one in one direction as to cover as much ground as possible.

Aragorn was searching for about thirty minutes when in a clearing he finally found what he was looking for, and eagerly he lowered so to get the plant as fast as possible. Just then he felt steel touch the skin in his neck, as he slowly started to climb, cursing himself for the stupidity of being caught with his guard down. It came as a surprise to the man then, as a beautiful and familiar voice just mocked him for that exact same reason, and only a moment of confusion passed his mind as he let out just a whisper "Arwen!"

In the clearing that the company decided to make camp all was silent, there was no way to raise the mood of the company at that point, and it was with worry that the other two hobbits guarded their fallen companion. They had been awake for more than two days already but no complaints were made, for there was something that they must do, something that go beyond personal well-being, for the person that had saved them was lying there, fighting to stay in this world, and there was nothing that the two hobbits could do to help, and the sense of helplessness was just starting to become overwhelming. It was just as Merry had began to lose the fight going on his mind yet again that they heard movement in the bushed nearby, and just a moment later the most beautiful lady that either of them had ever met came out of it, followed by the familiar Man.

Arwen was concerned, even after mocking Aragorn she could tell just in how much distress he was, so after helping him getting some Athelas, they both ran back to where the man said the small company made their rushed camp. As they reached the camp she saw what appeared to be two Hobbits nearby, and another one lying on his back near what appeared to be a pony or a foal. But a moment later she could see, based mostly by the size of the being feet, that it was not a Hobbit but a child, and ran to its aid she did. Just as she reached the unmoving body she could not hold herself any longer, what rested in front of her was a small boy, clad in a strange green tunic, with a big gash on his right shoulder that appeared to be made by some cursed blade, and sorrow came to the beautiful elf. She had just turned to see the boy's face when all blood suddenly drained from her face, and the once pale and fair being turned completely white as she saw what lay below the strange hat, the ears, and most importantly, their shape.

Deep sadness overtook the Elf in an instant, she could not help the tears from coming, for her to find such a special gift so battered and torn, it was just about a little more that her mind was able to cope. She had never seen another elfling, for she was the last elf ever to be born in Middle Earth, and to see one now, in the state that he was in, injures scattered throughout all his body and a deep cut filled with some dark curse, fighting jut to stay alive. But before being lost in sadness she knew what she had to do, for she would not let any more harm come to this precious little gift, and in an instant she was mashing some of the weed they had just found, and spreading the result as gently as she could on the cursed cut. After making sure the wound had been treated as well as she could make, she lifted the limp figure of the unconscious boy and held him as she was holding the most precious thing of all Middle Earth.

" _We need to make haste, I don't know how much time he has but I'll fly if need be to save this child."_ She said while gazing at the Man, but then she hesitated for a while, and remember the mission she was sent to Arwen just had _. "I was sent to bring the ring bearer to Rivendell, and in my journey I could track five of the black riders, where the other four are I do not know but I feel them nearby."_ She looked around just to see that during the time her mind was troubled the number of hobbits had multiplied. _"I could outride those creatures carrying a hobbit, but riding with two more it`s beyond my ability. By the Valar what will we do? I will not leave this child to die, but I cannot leave the fate of the one ring to the black riders, and even you could not defeat them if the nine were to once again gather together."_

Aragorn could feel just the conflict that was plaguing Arwen, for it was also troubling his mind. He knew she was an excellent rider, but ridding with three people, no matter how small two of them were, would just be folly. It was then that the terrible decision had to be made. What would they choose, to save the child that had given all he got just to make their journey successful, or to save the one ring for falling into the hands of the enemy and dooming all the land? The worst fact was that if it was just left to logic there was only one option to take, the fate of all the races was just too much more important than the fate of one individual, and said individual had already chosen to give up his life for the well-being of all. But logic is a cruel and unforgiving thing, and try as hard as he could he simply could not make the call of dooming the child to a fate worse than death.

There was another one present that understood not only the conversation between the man and the elf, but also the conflict that was plaguing their minds. It was too obvious they would not be able to reach a decision, for if one as terrible as that were ever to be given to him he doubt he would be able to choose either path without deep regret for the rest of his life. This was a situation that all the choices would bring sorrow and regret, that unhappiness was unavoidable. It was then that an amazing realization came to the Hobbit. 'There is a third option and it is the only one that could make all become well again.' He was aware that it was something he had to decide for himself, and it was probably the reason why this option had not been considered by the others. But if could repay a little of the huge debt he already owned the boy then it was not an option at all, and with determination in his every movement he went to where the troubled big people were.

They were still in a struggle, both the Man and the Elf could not leave the unresolvable problem that lay before them. It was in quite a surprise then when a hobbit appeared in front of them. _"There is a third option to this problem, one that I am most willing to make if this saves the one that have risked so much for my well-being, I would but ask for the fair lady to come down, for I fear my height is not as great as the one from your kind."_ He said with a thick accent. The elf had done just as asked when in one swift movement Frodo took out from the inside of his shirt the chains that guarded the powerful weapon, opened said chains that held the mighty weapon on his neck, and to the astonishment of all that were present, placed the one ring in the neck of the injured child being held so closely by the woman. As all stared at what was happening with wide eyes the hobbit turned to the elf lady _"I leave the fate of the ring bearer to your hand, please help him reach Rivendell in time."_

There was a moment of silence as all the ones present took the meaning of what had just happened. Arwen stared at the Hobbit, eyes meeting for the first time on the same level, and she did the only thing she could do, she smiled to the little man, relief that the terrible decision had just been avoided shown openly in her eyes. She then nodded and stood upright, suddenly meeting the eyes of a man that mirrored so well her own feelings. There were no more words that needed to be said, they just nodded to each other, smile shown in their faces. She swiftly climbed her mighty mare while still keeping a hold on her special charge, and in one swift movement she left, determination in her eyes, she flew back to her home, to where the ring bearer could be saved.

* * *

They were racing as hard as the powerful and proud mare could, night had already fallen but she could not stop, even while riding in the woods they would need all the speed that thousands of years of riding experience could muster. And so the female elf and her horse began a desperate sprint, for the fate of all rested in the safe arrival of the one ring to the city of the elves, as well as the fate of the unconscious elfling laying in her arms. It was just as they were half an hour from the borders of the land that the terrible cry was heard behind them, and glancing back Arwen could see, even in the dark, the shadows of the old world in the form of nine black riders.

She urged her companion for more speed, and the horse responded, running faster than she ever dared, flying between the trees as if they were running on an open field. The shadows were gaining on them, but before desperation took over the elf, she heard it, the sounds of the river, the place that was the border of their lands. 'We must reach in time!' _"Please, we need to go faster, just a little more."_

About ten minutes later they reached the river, the riders were close, almost too close, but not enough. She had just finished the crossing when the terrible creatures came to the other end of the shore. In a fit of anger Arwen took out her sword and cried as loud as she could "Come! Come to your death! For it is all that will await you if you even dare touch this child again!" She knew she was not going to intimidate all the evil that lay in front of her, but she was counting on it, for the moment the evil started to cross she began to chant the old magic she learned so long ago.

There was a moment where nothing seemed to happen, but then the level of the waters on the river lowered for a moment, just as the sound of a distant wave could be heard. But it was no wave that came into view, for it was like a dam had just busted, and a water wall of about two meters came rushing in. The black riders never had a chance, and all they could do was cry in distress as the waters washed away the ones that had dared to invade those ancient and beautiful lands.

The lady on her proud mare was astonished, she had heard of the ancient protections of her helm since she was an elfling, but she have never actually witness those powers. It was then that a soft whimper came from her charge, and so Arwen was reminded of her quest and how dependent it was of haste. Losing no time she charged ahead, she still had an agonizing hour to go before reaching her home, and the elfling life was depending on the speed she could muster. And so the beautiful maiden, the white and proud mare and the sick little boy left the river bank, racing into the woods before disappearing from view.


	8. Chapter 7

I own nothing.

Hope you all enjoy

Just a reminder

' ' Thought

" " Speech

 _Sindarin (Elvish)_

* * *

Chapter 7: The rise of a new hope.

In the city known by so many for its beauty and glory one troubled lord lay resting in the chair of his office, for worry was predominant in his mind, worry for his daughter, for the fate of the one ring as well as of all lands. All depended on Arwen haste, and even luck must be in their favor, for if his visions were true and the nine were working as one again, then the ring bearer might just not make in on time, especially if what Gandalf said was true and the ring was really in possession of a Hobbit. It was not that he find their morals wrong, he only doubted the speed and the strength that a body that size could produce.

Just as he was gazing at the night sky trough the balcony of his room, wishing to the Vallar that the fate of all remain in the path of light, he saw her enter the gates of the city in haste. He was surprised, he expected Arwen to arrive in the morrow, adding that the fact that she was running as fast as she could was not a good sign, so Elrond prepared for the worst. She came to him at once carrying what appeared to be at first sign the Hobbit that was supposed to be the ring bearer. But at a second glance one could tell, it was not a Hobbit, the size was correct but feet wasn't, and just as he was watching the body that his daughter was carrying with so much care he saw, in the head that was wearing a strange cap lay something he hasn't seen in a long time, too long. This was a child, a very special child, a child of the elves.

"Father, he was stabbed by a Morgul's blade!" cried Arwen, calling back the mind of her father, just beginning to lose itself in confusion and wonder. But said cry was effective, and at once the lord looked at his daughter eyes, seeing the worry in her face. He had no time, all questions must be asked later, and as one the two of them ran to the house of healing, no words needed to be said, and only actions matter if the life of the elfling were to be saved.

* * *

He was sudden aware that a bright light was touching his face, and just as consciousness was coming back, so came an involuntary groan. All that he remembered was the blinding pain, there were flashes of cries, of being on Epona, and then, of some beautiful lady that literally shined through the darkness, but that was all they were, flashes, like a dream. He tried to open his eyes, an action that surprisingly took a lot of effort. Once he was successful he immediately regretted, for the light that was warmly touching his face was not so confortable to said part of his body. As his eyes adjusted he noticed he was lying on his back, covered by some form of blanket made of the softest fabric he has ever known. The bed he was in was big, and it could probably comfortably fit all the Kokiris on it. It was just when he tried to sit down to see more of the room he was in that he felt it, there in the place he was stabbed pain made itself present again. All he could do was to groan again, and immediately give up on sitting as he fell on his back, closing his eyes in the process.

Just as his left hand came to rest on the injured shoulder he felt bandages on it, but before he could make any theories about who might have treated him a voice that came to his right startle Link.

"You must leave the injury alone child, for it has not healed completely yet." The voice said, and it was a man's voice, but one he did not know. That was incentive enough for said child to open his eyes once more.

What he saw was a tall figure, taller than Aragorn, he was wearing some strange clothing but it seemed to be well made, better than the ones worn by the royals in Hyrule, and that seemed to fit since he was actually wearing some kind of small golden circlet, but before he could consider the man's features he saw them, the pointed ears, and in the next second realization just came to him 'He's an Elf!'

The boy looked at the man in amazement, he finally met the famous race that everyone seemed to think he belonged to. The man was tall, almost too tall, and he was young too, almost too young for a lord, he looked to be no older than twenty five, but even then Link could just tell that his eyes were full of knowledge and wisdom. Before he could analyze the man's features any further he remembered the fight at the watch tower, at the evil beings he was fighting so fiercely to keep in check, and then the pain, and the dream like visions, so in a hurry Link asked in a low tone, pain preventing him to raise his voice "Where is Aragorn? What happened to Frodo?" just as he finished he flinched again, it seemed like all of his body was in pain, not only his right shoulder.

"Hush child, you must calm down, for you are much too weak." The elf responded, worry shown in the man face as clear as the summer sun. "Your friends have not arrived in Rivendell yet, but you need not worry, for the foe that has been tracking your steps is no more, so even if they are not here they are safe from that evil."

'I would very much like to hear how someone defeated those five black riders, but I guess that is a tale for another time' Link thought in silence, trying to make sense of the situation "Thank for treating my wounds sir, I would assume that I'm currently at the city called Rivendell then? If so might I ask why I was the first to arrive when the last time remember I was traveling with five other companions? I would also like to know how my companions are after so fierce a battle as the one I remember being in. Lastly I would ask for your help in making me sit, for I'm afraid that my strength alone is not enough at the moment"

"It would be best if you sleep for now child, it has been only five hours since I was able to heal your wound, and to be frank I expected you to wake up in a week at best, for it was no mere cut that you receive in your shoulder. You were stabbed by a Morgul blade, a cursed sword, and if you hadn't reach Rivendell in time you would have suffered a most terrible fate" The elf said, worry never leaving his face as he looked down to where the little elfling lay, hoping that the child would choose rest and be spared of the pains of the still not completely healed wound.

'By Farore please let me not have to deal with another Aragorn' Link thought bitterly, but he was far too weak to make any other kind of protest. "Please sir, I must know, if only to end the worry for my friends that won't put my mind at ease." He was playing dirty and he knew, but desperate times called for desperate actions, and so after those despicable words were out of his mouth he made the most pleading face he could muster. The instant he saw the man reaction he knew it had worked flawlessly. Much to the protest of his conscience and pride as a warrior he had to add this new found ability to the list of skills he kept in his mind.

"Very well, I will tell you what I know, but be aware that most of the tale is still unknown even to me. I must insist though that you should stay lying down, for you have a considerable bruise in your back and to put stress on your muscles is most unadvisable. Before I start I must insist that you should eat something, for it would help in bringing your strength back."

Link was then given a piece of bread that seemed so bland that he was almost doubtful for a second, but the moment he took a bite it was like a lot of his energy came back, the effects of days of hunger seemed to simply disappear. He was still fascinated by the miraculous bread when he was given something that seemed like tea by the too carful hands of the elf. He managed to drink most of it, and as he rested his head again in the confortable pillow, he began to hear the incomplete story of what had happened after he was stabbed in the watch tower.

* * *

As the elf lord began to recount just how magnificent were the defenses of the land and how they utterly drove the mighty foe away he heard a small snore. The boy had fallen into slumber again, and a peaceful expression was set on his face. The man who had lived so long could not help but smile, he found himself missing the time his daughter was an elfling, so long ago, but hope once again filled his heart at the sight of the precious little gift

The time was still dire, and the weapon that the child had brought forth to Rivendell must be destroyed for peace to reign in these lands again. He was skeptical at first when Gandalf told him that the ring bearer was in fact a Hobbit, he had already seen how it could corrupt even the heart of the little people, and the result, in the form of the creature called Gollum, was a reminder that there was weakness in the hearts of every mortal and immortal, no matter the race. That fact together with the lack of strengths and speed that would come with so small a race made the one called Frodo Baggins unsuitable to carry such a heavy burden in the Elf lord view.

But the hobbit not only seemed to be resilient of the evil he was caring, but did what no man had ever done in known history, he had willingly and freely given the weapon of the enemy away. Even if it was to save the life of the child, something that Elrond was forever grateful, the act of giving up such a cursed and mind bending evil artifact so easily as Arwen described could only mean that Gandalf was right, that if ever there was one to bring the One Ring to the heart of mount doom and cast it into the fire where it once came it would unexpectedly be this hobbit of the shire, so in his mind it was already decided that the fate of all would be in the hands of one of the once so ignored small people. The council would then be a mere formality and a way to find companions to help the Hobbit in this perilous quest that held the fate of all in the tip of a sword.

The elfling stirred in his sleep and as an instinct Elrond placed a hand in the child forehead and began to sing a song that for more than seventy years had not been uttered in the halls of his city. For some time he had thought that the time of the elves in Middle Earth was coming to an end, but the sudden appearance of an elfling could mean that maybe it was not to be true, that there was still a future for the old race in these lands. At least Elrond would certainly stay, for he would not leave for the immortal helm and leave behind such a young elf, least he became lost again and found by fouler beings. The Lord had a feeling that his sentiment would be shared by most of his kin, and that as a result the elves would start to consider again these lands as their home, and their future still attached to its fate.

As the Elf Lord watched the child sleep lost in thought and in hope for better days, the door of the room both elves were in was suddenly thrown open, and forth came a most distressed grey cladded wizard, uttering words without the good sense to control the volume of his voice. "Is Frodo safe? Does he still have the ring?"

* * *

Gandalf was in much distress, Saruman had not only betrayed the side of the free people of middle earth, but also held him captive when Frodo needed him the most, when he was being chased by the terrible minions of Sauron. He was glad that he decided to ask for Aragorn to meet the hobbits if anything was to delay him, but he still could not hold back the feeling that something was going to be wrong and that Frodo might fail without his help. It was in such a state then that the wizard was dropped in Rivendell, with a warning from his old feathery friends not to summon them again until the time of the last battle, for they had no strength left at the moment and the call of the west lands beyond the sea were becoming much too strong to be ignored and very soon they would have to leave these lands.

So ran he did, in the halls of the ancient race, to find his friend and ally. He was much too anxious to hear the fate of Frodo and the so important weapon he carried. He feared his miscalculation would be the doom of all, for he knew that Sauron was moving, and if the nine were to find them, not even Isildur's Heir would be a match to so formidable a foe. When he finally came to the room that the lord of Rivendell held his office he was met with only a guard, informing him that Elrond had gone to the house of healing in haste. That information only made fear grow exponentially in the mind of the Istari, and fly he did, apprehension firmly set in his mind.

As he entered the room the wizard could not hold his anxiety any longer, but as he finished asking what had troubled his mind for so long, he was met with the glaring eyes of Elrond. There was a moment of confusion where Gandalf looked from the elf to the bed in between them, by the size of the person lying there his first thought was that Frodo had being injured, but then he saw the head. It was not the head of a hobbit, it was just too young. Then he saw the ears, and then suddenly nothing made sense anymore, this was beyond anyone's prediction, it was illogical, was an impossibility, something that should not have happened, something that was beyond anyone's dream, of anyone's hope. For the second time in the month he was facing with a fact that he was not able to foresee, with a situation that was completely outside his schemes, with something so improbable that all his plans had to be revised. For sleeping in the bed before him was not only a child, it was a child that would bring hope, that would bring spirit again for the aging race, that would make them care, care about the land, about the future.

While the wizard was still dazzled by what lay resting in front of him Elrond checked to see if the last turn of events had unmade his efforts to bring the child to rest. As the answer to that question was a negative he let his gaze fall over his old friend: "Come to my office, for we have much to talk."

"Indeed" was the only response of the old wizard as he was much to dazzled by the events that had unfold during his captive, and eager to receive some answers he followed Elrond to where a much needed conversation could unfold without worry of being overheard nor upsetting no one rest.

* * *

The former members of the Second White Council talked together for hours, both making the other know the events that had occurred to the best of their knowledge. So it was then that Elrond discovered the treason of Saruman. Gandalf for his part learned that indeed his choice had been right, for the fact that Frodo had given freely the ring to the child in need was one of such importance that could change the fate of all, and it confirmed the wizard intuition of the great force of will present in the hobbit, even stronger than his uncle Bilbo.

As they finished updating each other with the current events Elrond began "This changes everything Gandalf, for an age my people thought that the time for us to leave this lands was coming, that it was in due time that every elf that still inhabited this lands would make the trip beyond the sea. The fact that for an age there was no elf born in Middle Earth only made that kind of thought more certain in our minds. But now, about eight hours ago, that certainty is no more, for you have seen what lay resting in that bed, and I would tell you my friend, that it is hope, hope and future that once was so closed to us that was never considered. As soon as word reach the other Elves settlements that an elfling was found what most would think is that the Vallar still want us to live here, that we still have a future east of the seashores. I would tell you now, after the treason of Saruman the elves cannot hold alone the powers of evil that are stirring in the east, but there is a chance that we will not leave Middle earth to its fate."

"You know not how it gladdens me to hear such words friend, for I had hope the race of Man could drive of this evil, but if a combined army could be formed as it was in the ages past, then in a more even ground would the free people be to oppose the Dark Lord"

"There is much to be decided before we reach that point, but a council must be formed, for it is due to the inhabitants to middle earth to determine what their fate would be" Answered the elf lord, not wanting to be too optimistic, after all he could not see how he could convince the dwarves to fight for a greater good without the incentive of profits from gold or pretty rocks.

There were just a silent agreement, and both Elf and Wizard focused then at the task at hand, writing to every lord of middle earth that still held power in their lands for a council in one moth time on the city of Rivendell, where the fate of all would be decided.

* * *

There were birds singing, the noise of water could be heard in the background, and the rustle of leaves was completing the melody that his ears were picking. As he opened his eyes he could see the same ceiling as before, and without the pain to distract his thought he could see the amount of details that seemed to decorate every single part of it. He could tell by the color of the light coming from the window on the right side of the rom that it was probably late afternoon, and that meant he must have slept for the most part of the day. There was no one with him at the moment, so he tried to move again, his body still hurt in some places, specially his right shoulder, his right arm and his back, but the pain seemed to be more effective in numbing his senses than actually limiting his movement, so he decided to test how much he could do at the moment. The first order of busyness was to sit down, something that seemed almost impossible some hours ago now felt like a doable job. After sitting he noticed that he was in a simple room, only a couple of chairs were present, with no other furniture in sight.

Deciding that it was too boring a place to spend the rest of the day, how much little it would last, he made his way to the left side of his bed, the nearest to the only door present in the room, and lifted over the overly confortable blanket that was keeping him too warm. As he looked down he could see that his chest was covered in bandages, which seemed quite exaggerated as he surely wasn't defeated that badly. He then noticed a small chain around his neck, and on it was the weapon that was so important to this world in the form of a rather simple golden ring, and remember he did the events that the Elf had said had come to pass about Frodo giving it to him and he felt thankful for his friend and the act that had saved his life. Nothing more covered his torso, and the only piece of clothing he seemed to be wearing was a plain white trouser, luckily his new pants had pockets, so deciding that the weapon should probably be hidden he took the chains out of his neck and placed it into the left front pocket of said attire, not wanting to openly display such a dangerous artifact.

After coming to the conclusion that his attire was acceptable for the moment, Link tried to use the legs that were inactive for an undetermined amount of time. They worked, for the most part, and soon enough the boy was standing up, not completely upright since the aching of the muscle on his back made him bend a little, but at least he would not be needing a walking stick.

At once he was out of his plain room, but what greeted the eyes of the Kokiri was definitely not plain at all. As soon as he was out of the door he was greeted by one of the most beautiful street he has ever seen. Every building was filled with so much detail, and every piece of construction seemed to blend seamlessly with the nature that seemed to be an important part of this city. Everything was in harmony, nothing looked out of place, it was the most beautiful visage he has seen, and it was breath taking. In shock the boy stood, gazing at the magnificent of the city in front of him.

It seemed like hours had passed, but finally Link decided to walk around, the buildings were all magnificent but he had yet to meet any elf, or any one in the streets at all. Every place he looked was empty. As he walked he suddenly heard what appeared to be chatter in the background, and so to the direction of the sound he went. As he walked on the street he realized most of the buildings were small, he seemed to be in a residential area of some sort, but even so to have no one around, not even children running on the streets was quite strange.

Following the sound brought him to the front of a considerably big building, bigger than the ones he had seen until now, and if the sounds other than the chatter were any indication, he was in front of a tavern or something of the like, only there was no name plate in front, just two big wooden doors. As he was struggling to move one of those impractical pieces of wood he had to wonder how other child would live in such an inconsiderate place. His efforts were soon rewarded and before as he entered he thought, not noticing he was actually vocalizing it. "Seriously who in their right mind would make doors so big and difficult to move?"

Just as he became aware he had spoken those words he also notice that all the chatter that was coming from the building suddenly stopped, as he let go of the door and turned to look at what lay inside the supposed tavern he could see a lot of people, and more importantly a lot of pointed ears. He was just starting to become amazed when in a startle he became aware that every eye on the room was looking at him, every single one of them.


End file.
